It is said that trees feel emotions if we embrace them. They feel the warmth of our hand if we place it against the trunk. Who knows if this be true? If there is one thing that is not lacking in Carnia, that is wood. Rich in forests, this area of northeastern Italy is a real oxygen factory for the whole of Friuli.

In the natural course of events, this area has also given rise to some real professionals in the art of wood carving. People who do not sculpt so much as uncover and bring to light what is hidden within the trees, turning them into beautiful masterpieces.

Imagine that that warmth, that arboreal soul comes to life and turns into some forest animal, a dancer or some carnival mask. Everything is possible. To do this you need expert hands like those of Ermanno, who in his workshop manages to remove the pieces of non-life from those trunks with great passion and skill, bringing to light the hidden soul of the trees.

"Do you want to try. Michele"? Ermanno asks me.

"Why not? I've never carved wood before!"

But after the first cuts with the chisel on a piece of wood, I understand that the tree has decided not to show me its inner identity. My hand is unable to follow the right lines. I stop. I would risk bringing out some monstrous entity that is best kept hidden in that trunk.

Hidden as are faces during the Sauris. Carnival. It is one of the oldest in the entire range of the Alps. The characteristic feature of this carnival is its wooden masks, and if you like, you can sculpt one for yourself after a short course of carving in a workshop in Sauris di Sopra.

At the Sauris Carnival there are two types of masks: scheana schembln and schentana schembln (beautiful and ugly). The most important characters are the Rölar and the Kheirar. To know who they are and what they do, you’ll have to come to Sauris for the carnival, however!